Tuesday, September 28, 2010

This story appeared in the Post-Gazette yesterday. In it, the Pirates claim that their average game attendance actually went up slightly over last year. In a word: bullshit. The Pirates management cooked those numbers, just like they cook their financial books. There is NO WAY that more people went to Pirate games this season than went last season. The Pirates are so desperate to say SOMETHING positive about this disastrous season. They are lying to the fans, again, only this time they're lying to them about how many of them there are.

The Pirates have regressed in just about every facet in 2010, from pitching to hitting to defense to the overall record, but one of the few upticks came at the gate.

The crowd of 23,208 for the home finale Sunday raised the total attendance at PNC Park to 1,613,399, highest at the stadium since 2007 and the 17th-highest in the franchise's 124-year history. The average crowd of 19,919 was an increase over the 19,479 of last year, and seven games were sellouts.

Although that average crowd is the fourth-smallest in Major League Baseball, it also represented what is expected to be one of the few increases. And the National League, as a whole, is expected to show a decrease.

"In what has been a very disappointing season, Pirates fans have given our players championship-caliber support," team president Frank Coonelly said. "While several clubs in baseball are asking why more fans are not coming to their games, we are fortunate to play in front of vocal, sophisticated and energetic fans who have supported our club through an incredibly trying time."Coonelly cited two possible explanations.

"First, Pittsburgh is, quite simply, a great baseball town whose love of the Pirates is as deep and rich as the history of this proud organization. Second, our fans finally see a young core of players who care about winning as much as they do and who have the talent to make winning a reality. In return, this young group feeds off our fans' remarkable passion, as reflected in the disparity in our home and road records."

The Pirates finished 40-41 at home but are 15-59 on the road.

"Pirates fans are winners, and they deserve a winner in return," Coonelly continued. "We understand how fortunate we are to have such great support and take seriously our responsibility to deliver that winning team."

The franchise record for attendance was 2,436,139, in PNC's first season, for an average of 30,076.